Cruiser style motorcycles are immensely popular in India. They appeal to young and old crowd alike as the young rider in a way fulfils his/her ‘Wild Hogs’ dreams and the older rider wants a motorcycle that is comfortable. India has had several cruisers in the Harley-Davidson motorcycles or Suzuki Intruder over the years, and these are now joined by Triumph Thunderbird and the likes. But what about that section of riders which wants a proper cruiser and is willing to pay more than what bikes like Bajaj Avenger are priced at? Enter the middle-weight cruisers, a segment that is slowly expanding in our country. Harley-Davidson Street 750 is, for example, the most affordable cruiser in the American manufacturer’s lineup. Harley didn’t stop there, it introduced a more powerful version of the Street 750 in the form of the Street Rod. And now, it has a direct competition as Kawasaki recently launched the Vulcan S. Hence, we have brought you a comparison of the two based on specs and pricing:

Design

Kawasaki Vulcan S looks like a strong built and the overall appeal is quite muscular with a laidback riding position as the footpegs are forward set. The Vulcan S comes with a semi-digital instrument cluster. While the tachometer is on an analogue unit, the other basic information like speedo, odo, gear indicator, gear change light and clock is on the digital unit.

Harley-Davidson Street Rod, on the other hand, appears a bit more aggressive. The Street Rod slightly crosses the line from being a cruiser as the footpegs are a bit rear set and the rider is leaning on the handlebar.

Engine

Kawasaki Vulcan S is powered by the same engine that powers the Ninja 650, however, it has been retuned to better suit a cruiser’s riding style. The 650cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled engine produces 60 bhp and 63 Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox that transfers power to the rear wheel via a chain drive.

Harley-Davidson Street Rod is powered by a 749cc V-Twin engine that produces 62 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. The Street Rod has had a significant boost in power compared to the Street 750. The throttle response on the Street Rod is a bit more aggressive in terms of cruisers. Those who have a more relaxed style should opt for the Street 750.

Features

Kawasaki Vulcan S come with 41mm telescopic forks at the front and an offset monoshock at the rear that is preload adjustable. In terms of safety, the Vulcan S comes fitted with a 300mm disc up front and a 250mm disc at the back and has dual-channel ABS. The fuel tank capacity of the Vulcan S is 14 litres and it weighs about 226 kg.

Harley-Davidson Street Rod comes with dual discs with dual piston callipers up front and a single disc at the back. It also features a dual channel ABS. It comes fitted with 43mm inverted forks at the front and piggyback shocks at the rear. The suspension has been tuned for sportier riding.

Price

Kawasaki Vulcan S is priced at Rs 5.44 lakh, whereas the Harley-Davidson Street Rod comes at a price tag of Rs 5.86 lakh. One can also consider the Street 750, which is about Rs 90,000 cheaper than the Street Rod. (All prices are ex-showroom).